Contact member for electrical connections



Aug. 2, 1938. c. H. REYNOLDS CONTACT MEMBER FOR ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS Filed May 25, 1935 WW N E Z Mm .4 7 M A W O C 3 1 M w 6 J v a w 4 W Y B i ow 0 A 4 5 w z qi 65 E3 .5 k 0 A AI w w W WW w A E 2 as 3 I4I 3 o 8 34 5 H y 3 ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTACT MEMBER FOR ELECTRICAL CON- NECTIONS Charles H. Reynolds, Malden,'Mass., assignor to Albert & .I. M. Anderson Manufacturing Company, South Boston,

Massachusetts Mass, a corporation of Application May 25, 1935, Serial No. 23,447

member and has for its object to provide what may be considered a universal contact member in that the contact member functions as a male and female contact member.

The improved contact member is capable of being used for all kinds of electrical connections and is especially useful in electrical cables and particularly sections of cables, whereby time and labor may be saved, when one cable section is connected with another.

The universal contact. member may be flat, square, round or of any desired shape in cross section, and is provided with two sets of contact fingers, each set having its fingers separated by a space of a width equal or substantially equal tothe width of the fingers, and the fingers of each set are arranged to register with the spaces between the fingers of the other set, so that when two of the universal contact members are fitted together to complete the electrical connection, the fingers of each contact member will enter the spaces between the fingers of the other contact member. 7

It is preferred tomake the universal contact members cylindrical in shape and when so made the two sets of fingers are located in different circles with the fingers in the smaller circle registering with the spaces in the larger circle as will be described. To facilitate engagement of one contact member with another and to obtain a most efilcient contact, the-fingers of the outer set are beveled inwardly at their free ends, and

the fingers of the inner set are beveled out-;

wardly at their free ends.

These and other features of the invention will be pointed out in the claims at the end of this.

specification. f

Fig. 1 represents portions of two sections. of a cable or conductor provided with universal contact members embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the contact members shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, a longitudinal section of the contact member shownin Fig. 2; the section being taken on the line 3-3, Fig. 6.

Fig. i, an end view of the outer set of contact fingers shown separately;

Fig. 5, an end view of the inner set of contact fingers shown separately;

Fig, 6, a cross section of the contact members with the inner and outer sets of fingers in their (or 173-303) This invention relates to an electrical contact Fig. '7, a cross section showing the contact member square in cross section;

Fig. 8, a cross section of the contact member in fiat form, and

Fig. 9, an elevation of the contact member shown in Fig. 8.

In the preferred form shown in Figs. 1 to 6, two circular tubes a, b of brass or other suitable metal are employed. The tubes a, b may be designated as the outer and inner tubes and are of diameters which will ensure a tight fit of the inner tube 12 within the outer tube a.-

The outer tube a is provided with a plurality of contact fingers M, which are herein shown as two in number and may be formed by cutting a pair of slots I! which extend for a portion of the length of the tube a from one end thereof. The slots I! are of a width equal to or substantially equal to the width of the fingers Ill.- The fingers l0 and their separating slots l2 constitute the outer set of contact fingers and spaces of the improved contact member.

The inner tube b has an outer diameter equal or substantially equal to the inner diameter of the outer tube a, so as to fit tightly within the latter.

The inner tube b is provided with a pair of slots it, which extend-from one end of the tube b toward its other end and form a pair of fingers It. The fingers l8 are opposed to each other and register with the spaces I! of the outer tube, and the spaces I register with the fingers ill of the outer tube a. The spaces I! are of a width equal to or substantially equal to the width of the fingers ll.

The tubes a, b may be secured together not only by a driving fit but also mechanically by means of a pin 20 which is preferably riveted at its ends, after the manner shown in Fig. 3.

The inner tube 21 may beclosed at its inner end by a plug 2i through which the pin 20 is of less length than the outer tube a so as to leave the rear end of the outer tube a free to receive By reference to Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, it will be seen that when the tubes :1, b are assembled and fastened together to form the improved contact member, the'latte'r is provided with a plurality of sets of contact, fingers, each set hav- 'ing a plurality of fingers separated by spaces of thesame or substantially the same width as the fingers of its set.

When the tubes 0, b are assembledand fastened together after the manner represented in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, there is produced a contact member which may be used as a universal contact member, in that it is both a male member and 'a female member, and can be soldered or otherwise connected with the opposite ends of a section or length of conductor or cable, and enable either end of a cable section to be coupled with or connected to another cable section when when cable sections have been connected, it has.

. frequently occurred, that the operator making the connection has picked up one end of the cable section and carried it to where the connection was to be made, and then found that he had picked up the wrong end of the cable section, and therefore was obliged to reverse the ends of the cable section he had picked up in order to make the proper connection.

This procedure caused not only loss of time but also labor on the part of the operator, as the cable sections are frequently not only long but also heavy.

Furthermore, a workman in the shop would attach the wrong contact members to the opposite ends of the cable sections, that is, he would erroneously connect two male lcontact members to the ends of the cable section or two female members, which error might not be discovered until it was attempted to couple two cable sections together.

When such error was discovered, the cable section having like contact members at its opposite ends, would have to be changed with loss of time and labor.

With the universal contact member hereinshown, sucherrors cannot occur, because only one type r or construction of contact member would be required to be kept in stock, and that would be soldered or otherwise connected with both ends of all thecable sections. In this case, a workman providing the cable sections with contact members at both ends, could not make a mistake.

In Fig. 1, two-sections 22, 23 of a conductor or cable are represented, which are provided with contact members illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.

These contact members are of like construction as above described, and when the connection is made, the contact member of the cable section 22, is positioned with relation to the contact member of the cable section 23 so that the contact fingers Ill of the outer set will be insertedinto the'spaces l2 of the outer set of the contact member attached to the cable section 23, and theflngers ll of the inner set attached to the cable section 22 will be inserted into the spaces I! of the inner set of the contact member at;- tached to the cable section 23.

At the same time, the fingers ll, II of the a contact member attached to the cable section 23, will be inserted into the spaces l2, it of the contact member attached to the cable section 22.

When the contact members are thus coupled or nested together, it will be seen that the outer and inner fingers II, II of one contact member will make contact with the inner and outer fingers II, III of the other contact member.

It will further be seen that the spaces l2, ll of one contact member serve as sockets for the fingers III, II of the other contact member, and that the fingers ll of the outer set which are inserted into the spaces H of the outer set make contact with the'fingers II of the inner set which register with the spaces I2 of the outer set, and also that the fingers ll of the inner set which are inserted into the spaces ll of the inner set make contact with the fingers III of the outer set which register with the spaces It of the inner set.

To facilitate the entrance of the fingers of one contact member into the spaces of the other contact member, it is preferred to provide the free ends of the outer and inner fingers l0, It with oppositely inclined bevels, the outer fingers lli having bevels 25 on their inner side and the inner fingers ll having bevels 26 on their outer side (see Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive).

In Figs. 1 to 6, the contact member is shown as circular in form, but it may be made in other forms. In Fig. 7, the contact member is represented as square in cross section, whereas in Figs. 8 and 9, it is represented as substantially fiat. The contact member when made fiat as represented in Figs. 8 and 9, may be composed of two plates 2!, 30, which are riveted or otherwise secured together and each provided with a plurality of contact fingers separated by spaces of the same or substantially the same width as the fingers, the fingers II on one plate as 2| being opposed to or registering with the spaces 32 of the other plate 3!, andthe fingers 3! of the plate II registering with the spaces 34 of the plate 28, thereby forming inner' 'and outer sets of fingers and spaces similar toithose shown in Figs. 1 to 7.

While the improved contact member has been described as used in connection with cable or conductor sections, it is not desired to limit the 1. An electrical contact member having an outer tube provided with contact fingers opposite each other and separated by spaces of a width substantially equal to that of said fingers, and having a second tube within the outer tube provided with contact fingers separated by spaces of a width substantially equal to that of the last-mentioned contact fingers, said second tube having its spaces registering with the contact fingers of the outer tube and its contact fingers registering with the spaces of the outer tube.

2. An ,electrical contact member having a tube provided with a set of contact members opposite each other and separated by spaces of a width substantially equal to that of said contact members and having a second set of contact members located within and supported by said tube and arranged to register with the spaces of said tube and separated by spaces which register with the first-mentioned contact members of said tube.

3. A contact member of an electrical connector having a plurality of sets 0! contact fingers lying in difierent planes, each of said sets having a plurality 01' contact fingers constituting a part of the same contact member and separated from each other by spaces, the contact fingers of each set registering with the spaces of the othe set in a single contact member.

4. An electrical connector comprising like terminal members, each terminal member having a plurality of sets of contact fingers lying in diiferent circles, each of said sets having a plurality of contact fingers separated from each other by spaces and constituting a part of said terminal member, the contact fingers of each set registering with the spaces of the other set.

5. A universal contact member for an electrical connector comprising a contact member having a plurality of sets of contact fingers and spaces separating from each other the contact fingers in each set, the contact fingers of one set being disposed out oi! alignment with the contact fingers of another set, and the contact fingers in each set constituting a part of the same contact member and being arranged so that they register with the spaces between the contact fingers oi the other set of the same con- 

